The Bengals are headed into their bye week with plenty to clean up, but one long-running problem has flipped into a real strength.
Cincinnati’s 31-24 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday was messy at times, and the team now gets a week to reset before a major matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. There’s no shortage of issues to sort through if the Bengals want to avoid a 0-2 start in the AFC North. Still, the first five weeks have offered some clear positives, and the biggest one might be the play up front.
For years, the conversation around Joe Burrow and the Bengals has started with protection. The offensive line was usually the place where drives got derailed and the pressure mounted. That hasn’t been the story in 2026.
Per Pro Football Focus, Cincinnati has a pressure allowed rate of 20.6%, which ranks fourth in the league. Only the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done better.
The sacks total tells a similar story. The Bengals have given up just nine sacks so far, tying the Indianapolis Colts for seventh-best in the league in sacks allowed. That kind of stability changes everything for Burrow and the offense around him.
Sunday in Miami showed what that can look like when it all comes together. Cincinnati was sharp in the red zone, and Burrow found four different targets for touchdown passes in the win. If the group stays healthy, this offense has a chance to go to a level that even Burrow and his loaded group of playmakers might not fully see coming.
The defense, though, remains a different conversation. For now, the Bengals can at least take comfort in one thing: the offensive line is giving them something real to build on.
In Other News...
Justin Herbert Questions Grow After Chargers Make Sudden QB Move
The Chargers are making a change behind center ahead of Sundays game against the Chiefs, adding veteran Jake Browning to the roster as Justin Herberts season continues to draw scrutiny. Herberts play has fueled plenty of outside questions in 2026, and any quarterback move in Los Angeles naturally sends ripples through the rest of the league, especially for a division-rival audience watching how firmly the Chargers are willing to stand behind their starter.
For all the noise around Herbert, the teams stance has been much less dramatic than the speculation suggests. Los Angeles has not discussed trading him, and the idea was never considered internally, even as the performance questions keep piling up. Brownings arrival adds another layer to the conversation, but it does not appear to have changed the Chargers basic view of Herbert, at least for now. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Bye Week Just Put One Defensive Need Front And Center
The win over Miami offered a reminder of why Cincinnati can still feel dangerous when Joe Burrow is rolling and Jordan Battle is making plays, but it also left the secondary conversation hanging in plain sight. Even in a game the Bengals controlled, the defense gave up too much on the ground, and the back end still looks like the spot that could use the most attention as the season settles into its next phase.
With the Week 6 bye in front of them, the Bengals have a rare chance to address that issue before the schedule stiffens again. The ideal move would be one that adds both experience and size to the defensive backfield, and Tampa Bay has a corner who checks those boxes while having started every game so far this season. For a team trying to keep pace in a crowded AFC race, this is the sort of window front offices are built to use. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Suddenly Have A Tight End Opening Fans Need To Watch
Tanner Hudsons season is over after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Dolphins, leaving the Bengals with a sudden opening at tight end at a time when the offense is already adjusting elsewhere. With Jake Browning now with the Chargers and the backfield workload shifting between Samaje Perine and Chase Brown, Cincinnatis depth chart has been in motion, and the tight end room is the latest spot to feel the ripple effect.
Jack Endries is one name to watch in the aftermath. The seventh-round draft pick has yet to take an offensive snap this season, but Hudsons injury creates a path for him to see more action if the Bengals choose to lean on the young tight end for extra help in the passing game and in-line work. [Read more 🡒]